


p•a•r•a•n•o•i•a

by Harryismyhoe



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Larry Stylinson Is Real, Multi, Shyness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 17:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16453904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harryismyhoe/pseuds/Harryismyhoe
Summary: Harry Styles is a paranoid, germaphobic, 14 year-old boy who has experienced life way too much at an early age. He panics when he sees something even slightly out of place.Louis Tomlinson is a carefree, messy, 24 year-old man who, despite having several maids, lives in a dirty mansion. He never knows where his things are, and he doesn't really care.They have to live together for a month.





	1. Chapter 1

_To: louistomlinsonatwork@gmail.com_

_From: anneselley_ _work@gmail.com_

_**Hi, Mr. Tomlinson! This is Anne Twist, the head of Human Resources. Is it okay if I bring my son Harry with me to work tomorrow? He's a bit...different, but he'll stay with me. He's scared to be alone, and that's why I would like to bring him. I would take the day off, but it's been so hectic lately, I feel I shouldn't. Thank you in advance! -Anne** _

_To: anneselleyatwork@gmail.com_

_From: louistomlinsonatwork@gmail.com_

_**Hi, Anne. You know that you could've texted my personal phone! We're friends, of course little Harry can come! Have a wonderful evening. See you tomorrow! -Louis** _

Louis hit send and let out a sigh. He hoped that Harry was a good child, not one that was whiny and loud. 

Anne was a good worker and friend, though, so he assumed that Harry would be well-behaved. He wondered how old he was. The email made it sound like he was no older than ten. Louis buzzed a button for one of his maids.

"Maria, could you bring me my nightly, please?" He asked, leaning back on his bed. Whoever this Harry was, as long as he didn't get in the way, he'd be good in Louis' book. 

•

"Harry, honey, here's your tea," Anne cooed, handing her son a warm mug. "I sanitized the cup beforehand, of course."

"Thank you, Mum," he said, sitting up to drink it. Anne sat across from him

The glove on his hand rode up, and a bit of teaa splashed onto it, making him freeze. Anne quickly stood and took his mug so he didn't drop it, setting on the table across from him. 

"Harry, love, are you okay?" Anne asked; he ignored her, standing up and walking upstairs. 

 _"Dirty, dirty, dirty,"_  he chanted, walking into his bathroom. He slid off his gloves and scrubbed his arms-both of them being rubbed  _up and down_  thirty two times-before he started to feel clean again. 

He looked at his red, raw arms, a sore feeling settling in them. He sighed, putting his head down.

A few tears dripped onto the marble surface, and Harry put his gloves back on, wiped his eyes, and cleaned the counter.

When he was finally done, he walked back downstairs and fell into his mother's arms without hesitation, heavy sobs filling the room. 

"I-just-want-to-be-normal," he gasped, barely able to breathe.

"Baby, you have to calm down. Do you need your inhaler?" Anne questioned. Harry weakly shook his head, his crying slowly stopping. He curled up in her arms and was silent as she messed with his hair and hummed to him, just like she did before everything happened.

"Harry, I don't care if other people think you're weird. You are my baby boy. When you were born, I said I would always love you, and I still do, no matter what. If you say that you're in love with an octopus, I'll get a snorkel and visit you. Remember that, baby."

By the time Anne finished her speech, Harry was asleep, his soft breathing quietly echoing throughout the room.

Anne carefully scooped him up and set him in his bed, thanking God she had already changed his sheets for the night. She carefully changed him into pajamas and put on his nighttime gloves. 

"Goodnight, Harry," she whispered, taking his daytime gloves to be washed and leaving him in a thankfully dreamless sleep.

• 

"Mr. Louis, your meeting is in thirty minutes!" 

Louis rolled over and shoved a pillow over his head.

"I don't wanna."

Maria yanked the pillow off of him. 

"No disrespect, Mr. Louis, but this meeting is  _crucial_!"

Louis groaned. "You're right. Good morning, Maria!"

Twenty minutes passed, and Louis' driver was speeding into the parking lot of his job.

"Thank you!" Louis called over his shouder, rushing inside. 

The meeting was boring. Louis nodded his head as if he were listening, but he was thinking about what he would do afterwards.

Once the meeting was over, Louis went to his office, ate lunch, and decided to visit Anne. 

On his way there, he ran into somebody that was hunched over. They were small, much tinier than he was, and they had short, brown,  _extremely_  curly hair that Louis wanted to touch. 

"Oh! Sorry, I-"

He stopped when he heard the person crying. 

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, but they were shaking so badly, Louis knew they weren't. 

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, okay? Breathe. What's your name? What's today?" 

He tried to touch them, but they flinched away, finally looking up. 

It was a boy with beautiful, green, unfocused eyes. He had chubby, baby cheeks, and, for some reason, he was wearing gloves. Was he a janitor? No, he looked much too young. 

But for some reason, he looked familiar.

"Germs," the boy muttered.  _"Dirty, dirty, dirty-"_

"Calm down," Louis repeated gently. "Hey. Breathe, okay?"

The boy looked at Louis, and something in his eyes finally clicked. He started to calm down, with Louis talking him through it, until his earpiercing cries reduced to sniffles.

"T-thank you," the boy stuttered, wiping his eyes with his gloves.

"My name is Harry, and it's August 25th, 2015," the boy- _Harry_ -told him. "I'm fifteen."

"Okay, Harry, nice to meet you," Louis smiled. "Is it okay if I ask why you were crying?"

Harry sniffled. "I can't find my mum, and there are germs  _everywhere_  here."

Everything registered for Louis. "Oh! You're Anne's son, aren't you?"

Harry nodded his head. "Do you know where she is?" "Yes, I can take you to her if you'd like."

Harry nodded once again, and Louis reached a handout to help him up. Harry ignored it. 

"I need to shower, shower, shower..." he repeated under his breath, walking beside Louis. 

When they neared Anne's office, they could hear her calling for him. When she saw him with Louis, she ran over and pulled him into a hug that he gladly accepted.

She whispered apologies into his ear, her face hidden by Harry's curls. When she looked up again, she was crying, and all she could do was mouth  _'thank you'_  to Louis. Louis nodded, feeling awkward, before he turned and went back to his office.

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Hi, Anne," Louis smiled when he arrived at the Selley residence.

"Hi, Louis. Thank you so much for coming," Anne greeted happily, allowing him to enter the house.

It was tiny, and it looked cramped. However, it was impeccable; not a single thing was out of place.

"Well," Anne started, once they were both seated with cups of tea in their hands. "It feels good to not have to sanitize the mug beforehand even though they're already clean."

Louis raised an eyebrow at that, and Anne looked around and leaned closer to him, lowering her voice. 

"Harry's a germaphobe, but it's not his fault. When he was younger, h-"

"Mum?" Harry called from the top of the steps. He walked down, now wearing a green pair of gloves that matched his eyes.

Anne's eyes widened. "Oh, hi, baby," she smiled nervously. "This is Mr. Tomlinson. He's my boss, and he helped you today."

"Nice to meet you, Harry," Louis grinned, sticking his hand out for Harry to shake. The 14 year-old just stared at it, before looking up at Louis with sleepy eyes. 

"Um...I'm going to go make Harry a cuppa," Anne said, leaving the two in an awkward silence. 

Harry was the one to break it. "Thank you for helping me find m' mum, Lou," he whispered. Louis' cheeks went red at the nickname, but he played it off.

"Oh, it was nothing, Harry! Nothing at all."

Anne returned, handing a cup to Harry, and sitting back down on the couch. "Should I leave?" Harry asked them, an anxious look on his face. 

"You're always welcome with me, love, but is that alright with you, Louis?" Anne said. 

"Oh, the lad's fine. He's' not a bother t' me," Louis agreed. So Harry sat down, cross-legged, on the floor, a book in one hand and his mug in the other.   

They chatted for a few more minutes until Anne looked at her watch and gasped. "Louis, I apologize, but I have to run out to the store for a few things for dinner. I normally have things delivered, but the company's is closed because it's after six o' clock. Could you watch Harry? I am so, so, sorry." 

Louis was actually pretty excited to talk to the boy, and hopefully learn more about him.

"Sure, Anne. Um-should I just-should I just let him do his own thing, or are there any medicines he needs to take?" 

"No. If there's an emergency, there's a chart on the refrigerator that tells you what to do, and where his emergency kit is. Bye, bye, love," she cooed, kissing Harry's forehead and rushing out.

Harry looked up with wide eyes, and Louis cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um...d'you want a snack?" He offered, hoping that there was something safe for Harry to eat.

"M' mum says I can't have snacks. They're unhealthy, and I have to stay healthy."

"Oh. Well, how about something to drink? Your tea must be cold by now."

Harry looked down before he nodded, and Louis walked away to grab some water for both of them, too scared to give him anything else. 

As he looked for the cabinet with the glasses, he could hear gasping behind him. Louis whipped around and ran to Harry, finding him sprawled out on the floor unable to breathe. 

" _Harry_! Where's your inhaler?" He asked the choking boy, who couldn't even respond. Louis scooped him up and put him on the kitchen table, leaving him alone for a moment to check the emergency chart.

"Inhaler, inhaler...aha! Here, Harry, breathe for me," Louis begged, putting the medicine to Harry's lips and pumping it (hehe) until he was breathing on his own again, panting slightly. His panting only got louder as he looked around the room.

"Har-"

"I'm... _dirty_. I have to get _clean, clean, clean,_ " Harry panicked, rubbing his sleeves.  

He jumped off of the table and quickly walked to the steps, still a bit tired from his asthma attack. 

Louis let out a frustrated sigh. So much for getting to know Harry.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi, Louis," Anne smiled when she walked into Louis' office the following Monday. Harry trailed behind her. Today, his gloves were a familiar shade of green, but Louis couldn't put his finger on it. He also had a backpack, and a grey hoodie that completely swallowed up his small frame. Louis thought he was adorable.

"Hello, Anne," he greeted. "Harry, I hope you're feeling better than yesterday."

Five minutes after Harry's asthma attack, Anne had returned and Louis told her exactly what happened, apologizing profusely the entire time. She'd gasped, immediately blaming herself, and telling Louis it wasn't his fault. He left anyway.

"I am, Mr. Tomlinson. Thank you," Harry mumbled from behind his mother. He always spoke so quietly, and his voice was already so deep, and Louis struggled to hear him. 

"Louis, I finished up the Manchester ad," Anne told him. "I'll get started on the Brazil ad as well."

"Okay. Thank you so much, Anne, you're helping me out a lot here. How about I take you and Harry out to lunch?" 

Harry's eyes widened with fear. "It's already dangerous for us to be out in public. One of these tiles could fall and crush us, or somebody could come shoot us-"

"Harry, calm down. None of that is going to happen," Anne soothed, before she turned to Louis. "I'm sorry, Louis, but Harry's too... _scared_...to go to one."

Louis still had no idea what had happened to Harry to make him like the way he was. The day that Anne had moved into her office, she'd hung up three pictures; one of Harry holding a tarantula, one of a girl, about ten, with long, straight, hair, and one of Harry, the girl, and Anne all smiling together. Louis had commented on how much they all looked alike, and asked what the girl's name was, but it resulted in Anne starting to cry immediately, and Louis apologized frantically before leaving her be, feeling guilty. He had two questions; why would Harry hold an animal (a tarantula, at that!) if he was so paranoid, and who was the girl?

"Louis? Louis, are you okay?" Anne questioned. Louis realized he'd zoned out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Anne. Well, what are you all going to eat?"

Harry took a small bag from his backpack. "I made sandwiches if you'd like one."

"No, thank you, Harry. Anne, is it okay if I come over later today? I have some business that we need to discuss," Louis said. Noting her worried look, he immediately added, "You're not getting fired."

"Okay, thank you, Louis," she said, relieved. "Is 6:00 a good time for you?" 

"It is. Not to be rude, but I have to finish up a bit of work," Louis said, glancing at his watch. "I'll see you at six?" 

Anne agreed, and, taking Harry's hand, left. Louis watched them go until his work phone started to ring. With a sigh, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Tomlinson, this is Garett. I'm sorry, but I...I can't go to New York. M-My wife is pregnant, sir, and after all the miscarriages..." The man on the other end trailed off.

Louis groaned loudly. "Congratulations," he snapped, angrily hanging up the phone. The only other person qualified to go to New York was Anne, and New York was fucking _filthy_ , how the hell would Harry survive there? He couldn't go.

Louis buzzed his assistant, asking him to bring him lunch, and sat down at his computer. He went into incognito and typed in Anne Styles.

There were several articles with her name. Louis scrolled to the bottom and gasped at what showed up.

_Anne Selley Harry Styles disappearance case_

 


	4. Chapter 4

Louis' mind was buzzing with new information, questions, and shock. He was ready for the day to be over so he could ask Anne about everything he'd read, but how would he approach the situation? His legs bounced underneath his desk as he attempted to focus on work.

5:00 crawled along slowly, and before the little clock he had on his desk could buzz, Louis was jumping out of his chair and grabbing his things to leave. 

He drove as quickly as he could, wanting to clean his house a bit more before Anne arrived. Even though he had maids, his house remained in a permanent state of filthiness. He only spent thirty minutes in traffic before he was at home.

"Mr. Tomlinson, you're home early," Maria noted. "You didn't even call a chauffeur."  

"I wanted to get here quickly. Anne Selley is coming, and it _has_ to be clean. And could you make us something to eat?" He requested, jogging up the steps to take a shower. He did his hair, and put on one of his rare, clean shirts. When he went back downstairs less than five minutes later, the house waa spotless, the smell of cookies floating through the air.

The doorbell rang, and Louis practically raced poor Maria to get to it. When he opened it, he grinned broadly at Anne and Harry.

"Hello, guys! Come on in!"

Anne smiled and gave him a hug, which he gladly returned. Even though she worked for him, Anne was like a mother to Louis.

To his shock, when Harry came in, he mumbled a "Hello" to Louis and gave him a hug. Louis felt like he hugged the younger boy back a bit too long, but neither of them said anything.

"Well, Anne, is it okay if I talk to you for a bit?" Louis asked once they were all sitting down, Harry with a book in his lap. He had changed from his green gloves to pure white ones with ruffles at the end.

"Okay. Harry, could you go in the car for a moment, please, honey?" Anne asked. Harry's eyes widened with fear.

"Oh, um- he doesn't have to. Maria!" Louis called. Maria appeared in the doorway a second later.

"Yes, Mr. Tomlinson?" 

"Could you take Harry in the kitchen with you for a moment?"

"Okay," Maria smiled. "Come on, Mr. Harry." 

He still looked scared as he walked into the kitchen, leaving Anne and Louis alone to talk. 

Maria immediately went to the oven to take something out. _Cookies_ , Harry realized. 

"I'm about to make another batch. Would you like to sit down, Mr. Harry?"

Harry really wanted a cookie. But the same nagging voice that he'd had at the back of his head for the past seven years prevented him.

 _How do you know she washed her hands? Or if she used the right ingredients? What if she works with him, and he's hired her to kill you? These cookies might be poisonous._  

"C-can I sit down, please?" He stuttered. Maria smiled sadly at the small boy. Louis had already told her all about Harry, so she knew how to care for him.

"Okay. The cookies are cooling off right now, but you can have some in a moment. I cleaned-I mean, I sanitized the bowl and the pan I used, and all the ingredients are safe to eat. I'm not trying to kill you. If you'd like to help me make the cookies, so it makes you feel like they're safer for you to eat, that's okay, too."

Harry was stunned into silence. Maria turned her back to him, not expecting him to speak, but she was pleasantly surprised when he stood next to her.

"Is it okay if I help?" He mumbled.

•

"I'm really sorry, Anne," Louis frowned, apologizing for what seemed like the fiftieth time.

"I-It's okay, Lo-Louis," she sniffled. "Ca-can I use th-the bathroom, pl-please?" 

"Yes. Go down the hall, it's the third door on the right." 

She nodded and left. Louis stood up, going to check on Harry and Maria. To his surprise, they were laughing and eating cookies together. Louis leaned in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt.

"Hi, Mr. Tomlimson." Maria was the first to notice him. Harry looked up at Louis with a grin, showing off the adorable, deep dimples that Louis had never seen before.

"We made cookies. Do you want some?" The small boy offered, holding out a plate. Louis shook his head.

"They smell amazing, but I'm a bit too full. Thank you, though."   

"Harry?" Anne interrupted, entering the room. Her face was clear, and her voice was steady. Louis couldn't even tell she was crying. "Are you ready to go, love?"

Harry really didn't want to leave. He was having fun and he felt normal. 

"Um, I guess," he mumbled, fixing his gloves. "Bye, Maria. Bye, Louis."

Anne draped an arm over Harry's shoulder as they walked out, followed by Louis. When Harry was in the backseat (because it was safer than being in the front), Louis stopped to talk to Anne.

"Anne, I really am sorry," he apologized once again. "If it makes you feel better, you'll be getting a seventy-five percent pay increase, and two weeks of paid vacation when you return."

Anne nodded, starting up the car. "Thank you, Louis. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, she backed out the driveway, leaving Louis feeling guilty. He turned and went to his bedroom, attempting to fall asleep for a few minutes before he pressed his button for a maid.

"Maria? Could you bring me those cookies?"  

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Harry, love? We're here. Is it okay if we talk?"

Harry blearily opened his eyes to see his mother standing over him. She unbuckled him and lifted him out of his seat, carrying him inside the house. Harry almost fell back asleep, but his mother woke him back up.

"This is urgent, sweetie," she told him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning as he sat down on his mother's plastic cover couch. She found it extremely tacky; Harry found it germ-free.

Anne returned with two mugs. Harry took one and sipped from it, happy to find it was tea.

"Harry, you know my boss Louis? The man we went to visit earlier? He's the one that helped you find me when you got lost the other day."

Harry rolled his eyes internally. His mom treated him like a three year-old sometimes. But he would never tell her; she worried about him enough, anyway.

"Well, there's a business trip he needs somebody to go on." She fiddled with her hands nervously. "And I have to go on it. It's an amazing opportunity, and I get a raise and two weeks' paid vacat-"

"How long?" Harry breathed out.

Anne was taken aback. "What do you mean?" 

"How long will we be gone?"

"Four weeks, and..." she finally looked at him and tooked his gloved hands in hers. "I'm going by myself, love."

He snatched his hands away from hers. "What?"

He jumped up and linked his hands behind his back, pacing around the room. "Who's going to watch me, then?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"Louis offered to watch you."

Harry's eyes widened, and he exploded. He very rarely got angry, so Anne was shocked as he turned to her, livid.

"You're going to leave me with a stranger?! Remember the first time you did that?!"

"He was not a stranger, Harry! And you need to watch your tone!" Anne argued back.

"Do you want that to happen again?!" Harry hissed. "If you want to get rid of me, just say so!"

_She doesn't want you, Harry._

_You're too much to handle._

_You should be grateful that **he** wanted you in the first place. You're worthless._

"Harry?" Anne's voice changed from furious to worried. "Did you take your pills?"

"We ran out of them," Harry droned. He stood still in the center of the living room.  

"Harry, I had no idea. Let's go get a refill," Anne panicked.

"I'm going to bed," Harry announced, walking to the steps. "Might as well start packing if you're so willing to let _Lewis_ kidnap me."

"Harry-" Anne called, but Harry tuned her out, going to his room and slamming the door behind him.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Harry woke up at 6:37 am the next day. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall back asleep, so he put on a clean pair of gloves, put on his socks, and tiptoed downstairs.

His mother was asleep on the couch, her cheeks red and puffy. Harry could tell she'd been crying the night before, and it made him feel guilty for how he acted. She shifted and woke up, jumping when she looked at him.

"I'm sorry, Mummy," he whispered, kissing her cheek. His mother was really the only person he trusted, the only person who could hug him without asking.

"It's okay, Hazza," she yawned. "Besides, I'm going to cancel the trip."

Harry's eyes widened. "But Mum, won't you get fired?" 

She looked a bit nervous when he said that. "Yes, but I might be able to get a job as a janitor there."

Harry pictured his mother having to clean a huge building filled with mean people who thought they were better than she was, when she was just as smart as they were. He didn't want that to happen to her like it did to him.

"No, Mummy, you have to go!" He cried out. "I can-I'll stay with Mr. Tomlinson. You should go." 

"Harry, are you sure?" Anne asked, a worried -and relieved- look on her face.

"Yes. Besides, I think Mr. Tomlinson is nice."

That was a bit of a lie, because he barely knew him. But based off of the few times they had interracted, Harry thought Louis was kind and funny.

"Oh, Harry..." Anne was tearing up as she pulled her son into a hug. "Thank you. Trust me, this will be great for us, okay?"

Harry nodded, not really believing her.

 • 

"Louis, thank you so much for watching him," Anne smiled. "Um, he likes for his sheets to be washed before he goes to bed. And he has gloves for each day of the week, and they have to be washed every night. And he has night gloves that have to be cleaned, too. And his inhaler medication-"

"Anne, Anne, you left me a list. Don't worry, I won't let Harry get hurt," Louis promised, giving the fretful woman a quick hug. 

Anne sighed heavily before she smiled, hugging him back. "I'm sorry, I'm just being a worrywart, aren't I? Harry, come give me a hug, love." 

Harry slowly walked over to Anne and hugged her, inhaling her scent so that he would remember it. He could feel himself tearing up, and Mr. Tomlinson was there, that made things so much worse since he would see Harry cry.

"Baby, it's okay," Anne reassured him, but she was tearing up, too. "I'll miss you. Don't worry, we can FaceTime, okay?"

 "Okay," Harry sniffled. "I-I love you."

"I love you too, baby," she replied, voice wobbling. "I have to go. I love you, baby."

"I love you too, Mum. I love you," he repeated. 

She smiled as she stepped into Louis' slick, black limousine. It was his, but it was going to drive her to the airport. 

Harry watched the car until it was out of sight. Once it was, he burst into tears. Louis, having already read Anne's list, wrapped him in a hug and kissed his forehead, just like she would.

"C'mon, Harry, let's go inside," he soothed. The heartbroken boy followed, and Louis led him to the couch.

"Maria? Could you bring us some cookies and milk?" He whispered. Maria nodded, frowning sympathetically at her sad friend, before she went to the kitchen. 

Louis pulled Harry against his chest and propped his feet up, humming to him.

"Calm down, love. It's okay. Breathe for me, can you do that? Just breathe, babe, you're doing great."

Harry was slowly calming down, but Louis knew he needed something else to calm down completely. He rearranged them so that Harry's head was on his chest, running his fingers through Harry's curls.

"Listen to my heartbeat, Harry."

That worked like a charm. Harry stopped sobbing, and he started to snore softly, going lax in Louis' arms. Louis grinned to himself, mentally patting himself on the back. 

"Never mind about the cookies, Maria," he called over his shoulder as he carefully scooped Harry up to take him upstairs to his bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry woke up at 6:27 am the next morning, in a dark room and lying a strange bed. 

He blinked as memories from the night before flooded him mind.

"Mr. Tomlinson?" He called gently. "Mr. Tomlinson?"

He rolled over and sat up, shoving his feet into a pair of slippers that were on the floor and praying they were for him to use.

"Mr. Tomlinson?" He repeated, getting out of bed and walking towards the door.

"I'm coming, Harry," Louis yelled, seemingly jogging up the steps. He knocked, and Harry pulled the door open.

"I'm sorry it took so long. I made you breakfast," he panted slightly, holding a huge tray. "Well, not me. Maria did, I just supervised. But I'm making dinner tonight."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he looked at the food Louis had.

"The oatmeal has three tablespoons of brown sugar, the apples have a teaspoon of pepper sprinkled on them, and the milk has half a teaspoon of both salt and regular sugar."

Harry grinned for the first time since Louis had known him, his dimples (he had dimples? What?) coming out and his green eyes shining happily.

"Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson." 

"Oh, Mr. Tomlinson's me father! Call me Louis."

Harry sat on the bed, wondering why there were two things of every food item.

"Can I eat with you?" Louis asked, seemingly reading the smaller boy's mind. "If you're not comfortable with it, that's perfectly okay."

"No, it's fine," Harry insisted. "Um- m' mum normally sits with me, so, um, it's comforting."

"Hazza-is it okay if I call you that?-I'm quite sorry your mum had to go on the buisness trip. She'll be back quickly, and you'll never have to see me face again."

"That wouldn't be good," Harry replied, turning red and avoiding eye-contact right afterwards. "Um-not ever seeing your face again, I mean, not m' mum coming back fast."

As Louis picked up the spoon for his oatmeal, he heard Harry muttering, "M' mum's no angel, though..." 

Breakfast was silent after that. Maria was about to clean the dishes when Harry asked to.

"I wash most of the dishes at m' house," he told them. "Besides, it'll give Maria a break."

Louis raised an eyebrow, but Maria gave Harry a huge smile and thanked him repeatedly, asking Louis if she could call her family with his home phone since her cell phone was dead. He agreed absentmindedly, too busy watching Harry replace his normal gloves with a plastic pair. His hands were small, smooth, and pale, and they looked soft and warm. Louis wanted to touch them. 

Louis' phone rang when he was in the middle of watching Harry wash dishes. The younger boy, Louis noticed, had a specific pattern that he used on each one. 

"What do you want, Liam?" Louis snapped.

"Woah, why're you so pissed, lad?" Liam laughed. "I just wanted to know if me and Ni could come over."

Louis looked at Harry, who seemed to be humming a song as he cleaned.

"Let me ask Harry," he jumbled out, ready to hang up.

"Harry? Who's Harry?" Liam questioned. 

Louis pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing two things; one, he hadn't told Liam who Harry was, and two, he didn't want to. So he gave Liam a quick description of the boy before he hung up, promising to text him after he asked.

"Harry?" Louis called softly, seeing how focused the small boy was and not wanting to scare him.

"Yes, Lou?" Harry replied, making Louis smile at the nickname.

"Me friends wanted to know if they could visit. They're both quite nice, but if you don't want them to come, it's perfectly fine."

Harry slipped off his gloves, finished with the dishes, and nodded. "They can come. M' therapist said I need to readjust to being around people, so this is good."

Louis was a bit surprised, but he smiled happily, pulling his phone out.

"You'll love 'em! Niall's sixteen and a half, and Liam's twenty-one,"  he explained, texting Liam.

**From: louist91**

**You guys can come over , but please act a bit calmer than you normally do . Harry's sensitive .**

**From: WANKER**

**Ooh, Louis' got a crush! Niall's gonna freak!**

**From: louist91**

**DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL HIM**

**From: WANKER**

**He's already thinking of a couple name for you! We'll be there in five!**

Louis put his phone down and groaned. Harry was only fifteen, he didn't want to scare the poor lad by asking him out.

"Harry? Me friends will be here in a few minutes, so I'm going to take a shower. Will you be okay?" 

"Yes, but is it okay if I take one, too?"  Harry asked shyly, shuffling out of the kitchen. 

"Sure. C'mon, I'll take you to one."

Louis slowly wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, making him tense.

"Is it okay if I do this?" Louis asked him. 

"Y-yes," Harry nodded shakily. He took a deep breath, slowly leaning into Louis. "Yes, it's okay." 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

"Could you not break me bloody door, Liam?" Louis sighed as he opened his front door.

"That wasn't me!" Liam insisted. "It was Niall."

Louis rolled his eyes as he hugged the blond boy. "Please don't be too loud around Harry," he ordered. "He's sensitive."

Niall bombared him with questions as they walked into the living room.

"What's he look like? Tall? Short? Happy? Sad? Loud? Quie-"

Harry came down the steps at that moment, slowing down when he saw Liam and Niall.

"Oh...hi," he mumbled. "I'm, um, going to check on Maria." 

He went to the kitchen, and Niall immediately went to follow him. Louis grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Niall, please don't scare him off," he begged. Niall rolled his eyes.

"Relax, mate. Yer actin' like I'll bite the lad."

He went into the kitchen, finding Harry with his back to him. He cleared his throat, careful not to scare him. 

"Hi, Harry," he grinned, "I'm Niall."

Harry smiled nervously. "I'm Harry." 

"How old're ya, lad?" Niall asked. "I'm seventeen, but me birthday's coming up soon."

"Um, I'm fifteen. My birthday's in February."

"Oh, neat! I've always liked February. What do your parents do?"

Harry froze, and Niall panicked.

"Crap-I didn't mean to be so blunt, I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"No, no, it's fine," Harry reassured him, taking a deep breath. "My therapist says I need to talk about my past more. M' mum works with Louis, and she's on a business trip. That's why I'm here. My dad...he's in jail."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Niall frowned, not knowing what else to do. "Do you like golf?"

"I've never gone golfing," Harry admitted shyly. Niall's mouth dropped open. 

"You've never gone golfing?" He repeated out of shock. "Once we get to know each other better, I'm taking you golfing, okay?"

Harry laughed, jumping onto the counter. "I like knitting, though."

"Tell ya what. I'll teach ya how t' golf, and you can teach me t' knit, okay?"

Harry stifled a giggle at Niall's thick accent. "Okay."

"Now, where are the snacks? Louis always has some," Niall groaned, pulling open the refrigerator. 

"Get out me refrigerator," Louis told him as he and Liam entered.

"So, what'd you two talk about?" He asked, looking at Harry.

"You don't have to answer, Harry, he was listening through the door," Liam told him. "I'm Liam, by the way."

 _"Anyway,"_ Louis continued through gritted teeth, elbowing Liam in the stomach, "would you guys like to watch a movie?"

"Which one?" Niall asked apprehensively, opening a bag of crisps. 

"The Notebook. You'll love it, Harry," Louis assured. "I do."

"Ooh, Louis' in _lo_ -" Niall was cut off when Louis kicked his knee. 

"Okay," Harry agreed. "I think it'll be interesting." 

"It is, trust me." 

Liam and Niall gave each other a look as Louis led Harry into the living room.

"Need anything, Harry? Blanket, snacks, candy?" Louis questioned.

"Oh, 'm okay, Lou, honest. Thanks," Harry smiled. "There's a blanket here."

"Okay," Louis repeated, sitting down. "Okay, let's watch the movie."  


	10. Chapter 10

Harry's been staying with Louis for three nights when the night terrors start.

Louis was in his room, giving himself some love, when he heard a scream. Stumbling as he pulled his pants up, he raced to the source of the noise.

Harry had all of his blankets thrown off of him as he writhed on his bed, seemingly asleep.

"Please, Nick, stop," he cried. "Dad, no, please just _stop_."

Louis froze in the doorway of Harry's room, taking a deeo breath before he entered the room fully.

"Harry," he called, shaking the smaller boy, "wake up, please. Wake up, you're safe, okay?"

After a few moments, Harry's eyes opened and he jumped, breathing heavily. His lip wobbled, and he slowly started to cry.

"Hey, hey, Haz, it's okay," Louis soothed. "Calm down."

Harry continued to sob, shaking as Louis held him. He let out a shuddering gasp as he attempted to catch his breath.

"What's wrong, Harry?" He asked, but he couldn't even respond. Louis jumped up to get his inhaler, giving him a few pumps. Harry let out a shaky sigh, sniffling as he finally spoke.

"I-I miss my mom," he admitted. "A-and I know it's st-stupid and all, bu-but I h-ha-hate change."

"Hazza, there's no shame in missing your mom. I miss my mom all the time," Louis told him. "Haven't seen her in forever."

"M-maybe to-tomorrow you c-could visit h-her," Harry told him, wiping his eyes and yawning.

"That'd sounds great, actually," Louis laughed. 

Harry still looked terrified, so Louis told him he'd be back and left for five minutes, taking Harry to his bedroom when he was done.

"If you feel comfortable, you can sleep in here with me," Louis told him. "The sheets and blankets are changed, fresh pillow cases, and here are a new pair of gloves."

He handed Harry a dark green set. They were beautiful; soft and neat and, most importantly, _clean_.

"Lou," Harry beamed, "thank you so, much. This is _amazing_."

"Wasn't a problem," Louis shrugged, but he was blushing from the praise. 

Harry slid on the gloves and laid down, Louis lying behind them. They were in a messy spooning positing, and Louis was about to apologize and flip over when Harry pulled his arm over him and backed into Louis' touch. It was immensly comfortable for the both of them, and they fell asleep almost immediately.


End file.
